HEF Photonics 76 million kilometers away from planet Earth
HEF Photonics, a specialist in the area of custom thin-film deposition, participated in the concept and design of the seismometer onboard the InSight probe sent to Mars in 2018. After a 4-year mission the apparatus has greatly increased our knowledge of the internal structure of Mars.
The SEIS (Seismic Experiment for Interior Structures) seismometer of the InSight probe was developed by the French Centre national d’études spatiales (CNES), which called on several French small and medium-sized companies. Through depositions of gold on the mechanical parts and the ceramic parts of the probe HEF Photonics ensured proper function and viability of the apparatus in the extreme conditions of the Martian environment.
The SEIS seismometer is the first seismometer to be deployed on Mars. The precise composition of the interior of the planet, which up to this point had remained unknown has been studied with more precision, thanks to the analysis of the data received. A layer of fused silicates between the liquid core and the mantel was identified, indicating on the one hand, a smaller and denser core than previously predicted, and on the other hand, reinterpretation of the origin of the Martian magnetic field.
These discoveries open new doors for a better understanding of the formation and evolution of the telluric planets.
